Charlene (Heinen) Schoenfeldt, 80, of Wathena, Kansas entered heaven Friday, July 28, 2017. She was surrounded by her children in passing. 
 

Charlene arrived in this world on January 23, 1937. The first child of Magdlena (Maggie) and Aloysius (Allie) Heinen, she was raised on a small farm south of Denton, Kansas. Charlene attended school in Denton where she learned to play the flute and clarinet, and was elected Queen of the Apple Blossom festival in Wathena, Kansas. 

She met her first love, Larry Winchester while in school and they married in April 1956. Making her home in Denton, Charlene believed her greatest accomplishment was raising three sons and a daughter. But there was so much more to her than being a wife and mother. She served as temporary bookkeeper and office staff at the family’s grain elevator during harvest time, she was a hunting companion with her husband on trips for pheasant in western Kansas and the Dakotas.

She helped with family finances by painting people’s houses, and helped her husband coach little league teams and ran the concession stand at ball games. Her charity extended to less fortunate families in the area, providing food, clothing, and sometimes shelter in times of need. Even going so far as to feed the “hobos” who would visit her back porch as they walked up from the rail line not far from her home. 
 

In 1977 she moved to Wathena, Kansas and took a job with Allied Glass in St. Joe. She went on to work as a librarian at the Wathena grade school and eventually moved on to employment at the Farmers State Bank in Wathena from which she retired in 2012. Charlene was a fixture at the drive-through teller window at the bank. 
 

While living in Wathena she met her second love, Alfred (Bud) Schoenfeldt. They married in May 1981 and made their home in Willis Park, Wathena, until they moved to a new home on Jesse St. The house was her pride and joy, she helped her husband keep a garden and the porch was filled with plants. She had many bird feeders, and loved seeing the cardinals, finches and hummingbirds. She even made a spot for the squirrels. It was here she doted on grandchildren, and great grandchildren, providing Easter egg hunts, Christmas celebrations, and Thanksgiving feasts. Her refrigerator was always filled, waiting for family to visit. 
 

Charlene was an adventurous soul. She traveled the United States, from California to Washington D.C. Many a family vacation was spent in the Missouri Ozarks. She visited Puerto Rico, Acapulco, Bermuda, Rome and Vatican City, and Norway. 
 

Charlene had a strong abiding faith. She attended St. Benedict’s and St. Vincent’s Catholic Churches in Bendena and Severance, Kansas, and most recently was a member of St. Joseph’s Church in Wathena. She loved as Jesus did, unconditionally and without judgement. She stood by, supported, and always prayed for each of her loved ones and others in need. 
 

She was preceded in death by her spouse, Bud Schoenfeldt, her parents, and two brothers, John Heinen and Leroy Heinen. She is survived by her brother Ronald Heinen. 
 

Survivors include; 3 sons, Michael Zane Winchester of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Randy Winchester of Olathe, Kansas, Scott Winchester of Kansas City, Missouri, and a daughter, Rhonda Morris of Shawnee, Kansas. She had 2 step-daughters, Debra Ann Helberg and Diane Schoenfeldt, and a step-son, Dennis Schoenfeldt, and 14 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren. 

MASS: Tuesday, August 1, 2017 – 10:30 A.M. 
At: St. Joseph Catholic Church in Wathena 
Burial: St. Benedict’s Catholic Cemetery in Bendena, Kansas 
Rosary: Monday evening 6:30 with visitation to follow at the Harman Rohde Funeral Home in Wathena 
Memorials: Catholic Charities 
Thank you for loving us, guiding us, bringing everyone together and always praying for us. Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, wife and friend. You earned a front row seat in Heaven.